One Blade of Grass Makes an Oasis
by TortiQuercu
Summary: Grant brings a very nervous Skye to Nantucket to meet Gramsy. Rated a strong T, Skyeward (as an established relationship), one-shot.


**A/N: This one has been in the works for a while, sorry for the wait! Well, we're less than a week away to the North American return of AoS with Episode 14, what a relief. Written for emmy-kent!**

**This little story isn't a true sequel, but follows my previous Skyewards and assumes that Ward and Skye are together in a post-T.R.A.C.K.S. relationship. I hope you enjoy it! Please read and review if you do. :)**

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"You haven't said a single word since we left the airfield. Are you having second thoughts about this, Skye?"

Grant briefly took his eyes from the curving seaside road to glance over at the woman beside him. She had spent most of the drive staring out the window of the SUV, but turned to give him a quick, uneasy smile.

"I'm not sure I ever reconciled _first _thoughts, actually. Do you know how many times I've done this? Met 'The Family'? Zero. Zilch. Never."

"It's not _The Family_, it's just Gramsy."

"Don't say that like she's not the only family you care about. I feel so unprepared. What if she hates me?" Skye's voice wavered slightly.

"She's not going to hate you," Grant smiled. "Try to relax. Mission talk: how do you avoid going in unprepared?"

"I prepare."

"Exactly. You need intel. What do you want to know?"

Skye thought for a few moments. "Does she look like you?"

"Ha! More like, I look like her," Grant grinned. "She's got the same brown eyes and black hair, although hers has gone rather majestically grey over the years. I would describe her features as 'strong'."

"That means 'intimidating', doesn't it?"

"I'm trying not to scare you. Let's say… 'dignified'."

"Great. So, visually terrifying, got it," noted Skye. "Does she know you're a SHIELD agent?"

"Sort of," he managed to look slightly uncomfortable. "She knows I work for a government agency, but she thinks I'm a diplomat."

Skye burst out laughing. "A diplomat? Really? Mr. People Skills himself?"

He frowned at her. "It explained the frequent travel and why I never seem to know what time of day it is when I call."

"Ha! Okay, fair enough. How should I behave?" she asked, her voice seeming rather small.

Grant's brow furrowed. "Like yourself, obviously."

"Oh, sure! That's always worked out so well for me every other time I tried to join a family," Skye worried. "Oh my God, I'm going to say everything wrong, like I always do. Admit it, Ward, it's hopeless! Even _you_ hated me at first!"

"Calm down, Skye! I didn't hate you! I was... _professionally suspicious_. Everything is going to be fine."

"Ugh."

"Deep breaths, Rookie. This is it," Grant pulled onto a long, tree-lined drive. At the end of it was a sprawling dove-grey house, liberally covered with ivy.

"What….. this one, here?"

"Uhhhh... yeah?"

"OH MY GOD, Ward! You didn't say she lives in the biggest house on Nantucket!" Panic was obvious on Skye's face.

"Oh trust me, this isn't the biggest. And really, she only lives here part of the year," Grant tried to reassure her as he pulled up beside a detached garage.

"That isn't helping! I'm going to hide in the trunk, knock twice when it's time to go, okay?"

"Too late, Rookie," he chuckled. "She's already seen you… she's standing on the veranda."

Skye whimpered as Grant grabbed their bag and bounded from the SUV, calling to the dignified figure waiting near the entrance. "Hi Gramsy!"

The older woman smiled broadly. "Grant, sweetheart, I can't tell you how nice it is to see you!" Gramsy was quite tall, Skye was surprised to see, and stood perfectly ramrod straight. She did look somewhat like her grandson, the strong family features apparent but with a feminine cast. Her greying hair was cut ear-length and swept back from her face, her eyes were intelligent and bright. She was wearing expensively tailored slacks and a rather dramatic emerald wool shawl, and she had Skye simultaneously in awe and terror. Gramsy was quite obviously a force to be reckoned with.

Grant and Gramsy were clearly thrilled to see each other, and Skye couldn't help but give a small smile as her supervising officer joyfully hugged his grandmother. He was beaming as he reached back and gestured towards Skye as she walked towards the house. "This is my partner, Skye."

"It's a pleasure, Ma'am," Skye greeted her politely.

"Hello, dear. I'm Ellen Ward," Gramsy smiled, taking Skye hand in greeting. "So, partner?" she said, her eyes twinkling at Grant. "Is that the euphemism kind of partner people use nowadays because 'girlfriend' sounds antiquated, or do you work together?"

Skye froze in fear, but Grant laughed. "Well, both, actually, Grams."

"Oh, I see!" his grandmother replied cheerfully. "Times certainly have changed. Well, separate bedrooms, please. Regardless of the times or the terms, _I'm_ still old-fashioned."

"Of course, Mrs. Ward," Skye choked, and Grant took her hand reassuringly.

"Call me Gramsy, dear," Ellen laughed. "And please come in. It's starting to get chilly in the afternoons now."

Skye and Grant followed his grandmother into her cozy foyer. It was tidily decorated in the Cape Cod style, with lots of white paneling and nautical-themed art. The wall opposite the entry way proudly displayed photos of numerous dark-haired children. Skye stared at them in fascination, realizing for the first time that of course Grant might have an extended family. She zeroed in on a serious little boy with a bowl-cut and a red turtle-neck.

"Ward, that's you, isn't it?" Skye pointed.

Grant sighed at her. "Even I was a kid once, yeah."

Ellen gave them a slightly baffled look. "She calls you 'Ward'?" she asked her grandson.

Skye looked like she was about to make a comment before exhaling and nervously glancing at Ward. He raised his eyebrow at her, before smiling at his grandmother. "Skye's old-fashioned too," he responded drily. "And 'Mister Ward' takes so long to say."

Skye laughed weakly. "I'll take the bag to…uh… the guest room. Rooms," she said a touch too quickly, and yanked it from Grant's hand.

"Right at the top of the stairs, my dear, either room on the left side," Ellen supplied helpfully, and Skye dashed up the wooden staircase.

"She's nervous about meeting you," Grant said apologetically. "I'll go help her find the room."

Ellen chuckled and gave his arm a warm squeeze. "You go convince your lady that I don't bite. I'll be in the lounge."

Grant bounced up the stairs and tracked his rookie down in one of the guest rooms. Skye was sitting on the bed, hugging a lacy sham pillow, staring out the window over the sedge-covered yard. It sloped down to a vast expanse of Nantucket sand and met the ocean where white-tipped waves rolled in. He quietly stepped in behind her, and she glanced back at him.

"Hey," he said softly. "You okay, Skye?"

She gave him a faint smile. "I'm sorry, Ward… I'm just so nervous. Crazy, right? I was more confident facing Centipede soldiers and corrupt billionaires."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "It didn't matter what they thought about me. It didn't occur to me that this would feel just like going into a new foster. Walking into a family, wishing so hard that they would like me, wanting to find a home. And it fell apart every single time."

Grant sat down on the bed beside her, and laid his hand on her knee. "You know now that wasn't your fault. That was Agent Avery's program, trying to protect you."

Skye nodded. "I know. The feelings remain, though… I'll always have doubts."

Grant squeezed her knee gently before bringing his hand up to her chin, pulling her face towards him. "Skye," he breathed tenderly, "you know how awful I am expressing myself. But I wish there was some way I could share with you my unwavering belief that you are the most amazing person I have ever known, and I love you unconditionally."

Her eyes became luminous with tears, and she suddenly launched herself at him and pressed her lips to his.

"Mmmphhhff!" Grant exclaimed in surprise before his brain caught up and he engaged her kiss enthusiastically, pulling her into his lap until she was straddling him. He tightened one hand on Skye's hip and sank the other into her thick chestnut hair, deepening the kiss and eliciting a moan from her that shot like electrical current right to his gut.

Ward kissed like he did everything: fiercely, fervently, seriously, with focus and determination. It always felt somehow like jumping into a tornado. She surrendered herself to the sensation, the adrenaline racing through her system causing her heart to pound. She couldn't explain how he made her feel both safe and dangerous at the same time, but she was addicted to it now. His powerful fingers dragged along the tight curve of her jeans and she writhed unintentionally in his lap, and he broke away from her lips with a growl.

"You," he gasped darkly, "I need _you_. Now."

She bit her lower lip and smiled wickedly, exulting in the control. "Oh? I thought we discussed this. No shenanigans at Gramsy's house."

He settled his teeth against her throat, his voice rumbling, "I changed my mind."

She arched against him. "No, no, no," she whispered silkily, making his blood pressure spike. "Gramsy is old-fashioned, she said so herself. If I'm going to meet the only relation you care about…. _oh my God, keep doing that_…. then I'm going to be respectful and well-behaved…"

The noises he was making against her skin were causing her head to swim. "Ward," she breathed, earning only an animalistic growl in response. "Ward…. oh _hell_, I can't think straight when you do that."

"Good," he smiled into her neck. "It's only fair for you to be as distracted as I am."

She made a mewl of protest and her legs tightened around his waist. "What would your grandmother say?" she inhaled.

"She would say, 'Grant, if you want something, go after it'," he declared.

Skye shoved his chest until he flopped down backwards on the bed. As she leaned over him, her hair spilled down like satin curtains and he twisted a tress of it around his fingers. "It's pretty good advice, actually," she grinned at him.

"Yep," he replied, popping the 'p'. He tugged gently at her hair, bringing her face down to his.

"Well, Agent Ward," she murmured against his lips. "Are you going after something here?"

His fingers brushed up against her flanks and slid under her shirt, causing a delicious shiver to run up her body. His eyes didn't leave hers as he moved across her ribcage and slowly ran his thumbs over the lace of her bra. She shuddered and pressed herself into his palms, and his breath hitched. She could feel his arousal underneath her, straining against her core, almost making her weep with want.

"You're so beautiful," he sighed lustily. "Skye, I…."

"Grant? Skye?" Gramsy's voice called up from the stairs. "I've got tea waiting into the lounge!"

Grant closed his eyes. "Dammit."

"Saved by the bell, Agent Ward," Skye chuckled. She bent down and dropped a chaste kiss onto his swollen lips. He looked back up at her in perfect contentment. She leaned back from him and pressed her hands to either side of his face. "I love it when you smile," she beamed.

He couldn't help the shy grin that crossed his face. "You make me smile," he replied, and they sat up together.

"Be right down, Grams!" he called back, standing up and lifting Skye up along with him. They rested their foreheads together, breathing each other's air for several moments. "Feel a bit better?" Ward murmured.

"Much, " she replied, brushing another kiss across his lips. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Then let's go. It's not often I get to show off anything to do with work… I want Grams to see the best thing SHIELD ever brought me."

"Charmer," Skye teased, happily wrapped around Grant's torso.

"All yours. Having second thoughts?"

"Nope. Still tickled pink with first thoughts."

"That's my girl."


End file.
